Artists chosen to create Swedish Icehotel 2018

Visit the Icehotel on the riverbank in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, from one year to the next, you will find a completely different building each time you go. This is because each year a new hotel made entirely of ice and snow is built to replace the old one. What happens to the previous hotel? It melts of course!

To complete the epic task of building a brand new hotel, 26 artists from 11 countries, alongside a lighting team, an ice production building team and an art support team, are coming together to create the 28th rendition of Icehotel.

Not only does the hotel offer a place to sleep and eat, it also functions as an art exhibition. Out of hundreds of applicants, 15 artists are selected to design different suites in the hotel.

Artists are chosen by a judging panel consisting of Art and Support leader Luca Roncoroni, the head of light design, Olof Lange, the ice production worker, Johan Larsson and Arne Bergh, Creative Director at Icehotel, amongst others.

Lisa Lindqvist from the United Kingdom made her Ice hotel debut last year, and this year has come back to create a new suite entitled ‘wandering cloud.’

“As soon as I was done with my last suite, I knew I wanted to return. This year’s suite, ‘Wandering Cloud’ is an art installation who also happens to be a bedroom. As the name suggests, I will create a dreamlike vision to step in to and flow away in.” Lindqvist said.

The huge hotel is made from enough snow to make 700 million snow balls and the chandeliers alone are made from 1,000 hand polished ice crystals.

Building begins in October and Icehotel will open on 15 December. If you can’t wait till then, take a peek below at the shortlisted artists who will be creating this year’s hotel.